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Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’

Be a Sexy Job Seeker and Increase your Odds of Getting the Perfect Job

June 6th, 2010 Matt Baril 11 comments

 

All my life, I've been extremely lucky in my job hunts and career opportunities. Unfortunately, I have many friends who are not so lucky and are currently looking for a job, it actually seems like most of my friends are looking for jobs in the Vancouver area right now. Luck, determination and hard work have been the main factors of my career opportunities, but I think everybody works hard and is determined, but there are ways to put odds on your side and increase your luck. I thought I would share resources and tricks that have helped me and some of my friends to put odds on our side.
 
 
1. Be resourceful. There are some really nice tools out there that can keep you on top of things really easily without much effort. Use them! The first thing you need is a good way to know about the relevant jobs available in your area, and in 2010 there are 3 websites you cannot leave without for job hunting:

These 3 websites are what we call aggregators (read this post to understand why you should love them) and a search will fetch and provide you with results from many different websites. If you're looking for tech jobs in Vancouver for example, they will go on many job boards in Vancouver and do a search based on the keywords and the area you entered. That means you don't have to do and redo all these searches on all these website everyday. You can also save your searches and subscribe to the RSS feed, so you don't even have to go back on the website at all, the job postings are just delivered to your RSS feed reader. If you don't have an RSS feed reader, I would recommend Google Reader. You can even make the RSS feeds to be emailed to you on a regular basis with free services such as feedmyinbox. For instance, you could get up in the morning, open up your email client and apply on all the relevant jobs posted within the last 24 hours while having your breakfast. Cool eh?

If you're more into technology, you can use Yahoo! Pipes. That's like the Lamborghini of all the tools you can possibly have. It lets you make your own feed instead of using on of the web sites mentioned above. You can aggregate your own feeds, search, filter, sort, etc. That’s the tool I use for my job posting on this blog which displays the 150 most recent tech jobs in Vancouver in real-time. Yahoo! Pipes is free.
 
 
2.     2. Use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is just the most awesome social networking tool for jobs. I know many people who complain about it, but I think they just don't know how to use it. I've had 3 job offers since January through LinkedIn. Jobs I did not ask for, the companies came forward and offered me a job or an interview. There are also a lot of jobs available on LinkedIn (you can find them through simplyhired.ca as well) and now you can follow companies (brand new of a few days). So if you're interested by one company you can follow them, and when they open a position or when someone leaves, you can apply on the job even before the company advertises for the job. Having a complete profile on LinkedIn also adds credibility to your application, especially if you can get a few recommendations. Anyways, my point is that LinkedIn is just great! If you decide to join, add me: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/mattbaril.
 
 
3.     3. Own and use your dot com. This might be pushing it a bit, but having a website helps as well. My website is a blog and there is quite a bit of content, which means that potential employers can surf through it and read bits and pieces to see my English proficiency, my capacity to write, think and how disciplined I am to keep the blog up-to-date. It helps in two ways: an employer can find you through your blog, but it can also add credibility to your application. In my interview at Elastic Path, a company I worked for during the Olympics, the HR person kept talking about my blog and she asked me only one interview question, the rest of the 45 minutes were spent talking about my blog which she pulled up on her screen. But, a personal blog is a lot of work and I know people who have used their website differently and have had some success as well. I went to school with this guy called Cody Watson and I like what he has done with his dot com. It's pretty simple, it takes few hours to put together, but it looks really professional and helps for the first impression.
 
 
4.     4. Always apply on all jobs, even those you’re not too fond of. This is probably the most important mistake people make, not applying on all kind of jobs. Don’t be picky, you don’t have a job for god sake, just apply on everything you think is related to your area even though it’s not the dream job. There are many reasons to do so:
  • You can practice your interview skills and will not have the pressure you would usually have if you really wanted the job.
  • You will have feedback on your resume and the experience you have that is most appreciated by employers. If you don’t get the job you can even ask why and know where you’re falling short.
  • And most importantly, you’re much sexier when you have a job. People are people and hiring someone who doesn’t have a job seems like a risk. If that person was that great he or she would have a job right? Right… so get a job to make yourself more attractive. It also shows you are motivated, ambitious and driven. Once you have a job, you can say things such as: “I love working for company ABC, they have provided me with XYZ kind of experience and treat their employees very well. However, I feel that with my background and experience I could add more value and be more useful to a company like yours by doing ABC. As you can see from my resume I have already worked on projects similar in scope and have had great success.” Well now you are lot sexier than by saying: “I’ve been spending the last 2 months looking for a job, but couldn’t find the right fit.”
5.     5. Spend 8 hours a day looking for jobs. Finding a full time job is a full time job. You should set targets for yourself such as sending 10 resumes a day. Once you have the right tools set up for you, you can easily get 100 jobs per day into your inbox or RSS feed reader. Pick the 10 most interesting and apply. Make a couple of cover letters for different kind of roles you are interested in and tweak them to make it sound personal. It will take you less than 10 minutes to apply on a job with a “personal” cover letter. Count about 3 hours to do so and applying on 50 jobs per week should get you anywhere between 1 and 5 interviews per week. You can then spend the next 5 hours of your day for sharpening your interview skills (free job centre resources), having real interviews, tweaking your website, making new connections on LinkedIn, joining new groups on LinkedIn, networking at different events, blogging, volunteering, taking courses/classes/certifications. Every single hour should be an investment in your career and a step forward, something that will lead you to a job or will enrich your resume.
 
 
There is definitely a big part of chance in the process, but you can improve your odds of finding a great job if you do the above. You will also need someone to support you, a wife, a husband, a friend, a parent for the times when everything goes wrong. The week you will have sent 50 resumes and went to 3 interviews and get nothing in return will be a tough week, but it’s not the end of it. Keep working at it and you’re putting the odds in your favor and sharpening the saw.
 
 
What are your tricks and tips to become a sexy job seeker and increase your odds of getting the perfect jobs? What do you think doesn't work versus what really works?
 
 
Good luck all!
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10 Ridiculous So Called Social Media Rules – Part 1

May 25th, 2010 Matt Baril 6 comments

 

If you're interested in Social Media, you've most likely come across many blog posts on dos, don'ts, and "rules" about Social Media. I find these very interesting, because there seems to be a general consensus on some of these "rules" even though there are very successful blogs that don't follow any of them. Here's the first part of a two-part article of 10 rules that I think come up the most often in blog articles and which I hate the most. My point is not that all Social Media rules are ridiculous, but that rules are made to be broken, and you shouldn't pay too much attention to them.

 

1. Publish often

Publishing often has the advantage of giving your blog a better ranking on Google as well as giving you the edge as far as first impression goes. What it doesn't give you though, is high quality content. When you post an article every day, you can't have thought it through all the time. I followed high profile bloggers such as Chris Brogan and Seth Godin for a few months, and these people post every single day. Although these 2 bloggers deserve kudos for the hard work they do and everything they have contributed to their communities/tribes, they can't keep up with great articles indefinitely by publishing everyday. We could also mention the kind of sacrifices it requires on a personal level to write 7 articles a week, for free. You can also read an interesting comment from Mike who raised an interesting point about posting less being not so much of an issue with RSS feeds nowadays in a previous post here.

Famous counter example: As an example Dosh Dosh is a successful and influential blog that publishes rarely, but has top quality content and long articles.

 

2. Engage people in a conversation

Most people follow you or comment on your posts with the hope you'll follow back or that their comment will draw traffic to their blog. This is not true 100% of the time, but I'd say the 80/20 rule would apply here: 20% or less of your followers are real fans and create 80% or more of the valuable and relevant content such as questions, ideas, links, etc. Trying to engage a conversation is a noble cause, but it won't happen by itself and it's most likely to take a lot of time before you're having a real conversations with your "fans". Keep trying to get as much feedback as you can, but if you're like 80% of us, replying to your fans won't take you all day.

Famous counter example: Seth Godin doesn't even allow comments on his blog which basically kills the idea of having a conversation and he still runs the most read blog on marketing in the world.

 

3. Be available, all the time

Chris Brogan is a blogger I really admire and who has done a lot for his community and he's probably the most available person in the world, which means that he sleeps 4 hours a day. He will try to reply to all the emails, tweets, facebook, friendfeed, linkedin, etc, he can possibly receive. I can't imagine the burden of having to be available all the time and the different consequences it can have on your personal life. I'm a strong believer in First Things First (affiliate link) and the power of prioritizing your life based on your roles (parent, employee, friend, son/daughter, etc.). Not everything that is urgent is important, and if it's not important, it should not get your attention.

Famous counter example: Let me reuse the Seth Godin no comment example here and make sure your read this blog post about what happens when you unplug. Someone also brought up no-tech Sundays, an idea I love and that I sometimes do.

 

4. Publish short posts, or break a long one into many smaller posts

I think it really depends of the audience you're targeting. I find my "true fans" to read all my posts even the very long ones and I've actually had more success with my longest posts. I have short posts for new comers and longer posts for regular visitors who know me better and have read some of my previous posts. If you publish less often, but try to have a higher quality, then length becomes almost irrelevant.

Famous counter example: Let me use Dosh Dosh as an example again, you'll notice that the typical post is much longer than average blog post.

 

5. Add value

What does that mean anyways? It's by far the most overused expression in Social Media right now, there is no article you can possibly read without having the words "adding value". First of all, I wish I knew what they meant by value here, and second of all it seems to be derived from business value. I believe a blog is all about experience and no so much about the value you add, but the emotion you can create. That might be the new direction my blog will take… hhhmmm

Famous counter example: One blog that has been very successful and which doesn't, in my view, add value is PostSecret. It might be argued that it entertains, but I don't really see the value it adds. Another blog that could be arguably added to this list is the onion (22nd on Technorati ranking) who reports humorous fake news.

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Top 5 Reasons Why Professionals Cannot Afford not to Join Social Networks

January 13th, 2010 Matt Baril No comments

It seems like there is a a certain resistance towards Social Media that's coming from a growing number of professionals in regards with the usefulness of belonging and using Social Networks. I've heard, and you probably did too, 3 main arguments against Social Networking websites:

  1. Privacy concerns
  2. Time commitment required to really tap into the power of Social Networks
  3. Addictive effect of most Social Media tools – Time waster

 

These are all, to some level, justified and yes Social Networking brings its own challenges, but one should realize that these 3 "weaknesses" are people related. In other words you are the problem and not Social Networks per say: you decide what information goes on your profile, you decide how much time you spend networking, and you let yourself spend way too much time on Social Networking Websites. Instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water, professionals should work at finding a balance between Social Media and their career and lives.

There are at least 5 top reasons why professionals cannot afford not to join these Social Networks:

 

1. If you're not online, you don't exist

Whether you like it or not, if you're a professional, you're also a brand and more exposure can lead to a better reputation, increased credibility/authority and more contracts or a better job. People rely on the web for most of the information they need, and if you're not there you just don't exist. If people have a discussion about a topic you have expertise in but you're not there, you don't exist. There is so much information delivered to so many people with traditional marketing that the sign you bought at the bus stop is not likely to do you much good. Social Media will not kill traditional marketing, but for people operating in niches it just doesn't make any sense to buy expensive advertising with low efficiency rates. People's attention span for advertising is decreasing and you're energy would be better spent advertising to people who actually want to hear from you.

 

2. It's not what you know, but who you know

I think this one is obvious, there are millions of people using LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and odds are that a few thousands are people with similar interests as you, or could be potential customers/employers. You can get business leads, you can grow your customer base, you can learn from the people you connect with. You can get a better understanding of what the people you connect with want and what they're looking for. More connections with more people means you know more, you understand better and you're on top of the game. Being actively connected with hundreds of people in your industry will bring opportunities you could never have expected.

 

3. Keep your hundred of connections alive

There is so many people you can reach and keep in touch with without Social Media tools. Emails, phone calls, letters, pigeons all require a lot of time and energy. How many people can you actively and seriously keep in touch with without Social Media? 50? 75? You need to actively be involved in order to get the information from them and therefore keep these connections and their potential leads alive. With Social Networks, the information comes to you instead of you going after the information. Your reach will be much broader and you'll be closer to any of connections than ever before. The mistake people shouldn't make here is that you don't have to give up emails and phone calls to use Social Media. Keep these more traditional time consuming methods for your top connections.

 

4. A time saver, not a time waster

Things are shifting and you can now easily have 300+ active connections and keep track of what they're doing, how they're doing and the business opportunities they offer. Clicking a like button or commenting "Hey! Nice job, congrats!" doesn't require much time, but keeps that connection alive. People who claim Social Media is a big time waster don't understand it. I challenge you to keep 300 connections with emails and phone calls. Social Networks take time because we're connected to so many more people. Chances are that most of the time you're emailing people instead of calling them as it was common place 20 years ago, social media does the same by decreasing the amount of emails you write and receive. Don't get me wrong, emails and phone calls will always be there, but they'll be kept for top connections as they take more time.

 

5. Keeps you in the loop

LinkedIn and Facebook have an event feature, Twitter has created a new social phenomenon called Tweetup, and unconferences are becoming more common. The fact is that Social Media might be in the virtual world, but it'll lead to more real world connections and will help expanding your real world network. People organize themselves with online tools, and once again if you're not there you don't exist and won't be invited. Social Networks also help you being on top of what's happening and keeps you in the know with important information: birthdays in Facebook, most interesting articles of the day with Twitter and professional networking events with LinkedIn are just a few examples.

 

Social Media provides you with everything you need to know, and it's up to you whether or not you want to listen to Social Media. I understand some people just hate Social Media and cannot be convinced and I'd like to know why. If you know one of these people, send them this article so they get a chance to share what they have to say. What about you? Do you like or hate Social Media?

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